Spring locking especially for ski bindings



22, .1967 T. SMOLKA ETAL 3,337,225

SPRING LOCKING ESPECIALLY FOR 5m BINDINGS Filed Jan. 5, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR THO/m5 6' sMoLkA JOHHN N 2 E L INKH g7 MAM/Maw Aug. ,1 T. G. SIMQLKA ETAL 3,337,225

SPRING LOCKING EBPE' CIALLY FOR SKI BINDINGS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.

FIG. 5

IMVENTORg TH 0/"1/35 G. sMoL/n g- 1967 T. G. SMOLKA ETAL 7,225

SPRING LOCKING ESPECIALLY FOR SKI BINDINGS 4 Sheets-Sheet 0 Filed Jan.

FIG. 10

/ N v E rvTa R 5 THO/1H5 6. sMa-L/M JOHHA/N ZEL/NKH WWW WMM Aug. 22, 1967 T. G. SMOLKA ETAL 3,337,225

SPRING LOCKING ESPECIALLY F R SKI BINDINGS Filed Jan. 1965 4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENT RS THOMAS e. SMOLKH JOHH/VA/ ZEL/NKH WWW M W,

United States Patent Office 3,337,225 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 The invention relates to a spring locking, especially for ski bindings having an adjustment member affecting the spring tension and having an indication means for this tension. The invention is characterized in that a transmission is provided between the adjustment member and the indication means. According to a further object of the invention, a transmission is provided operating the indication means by increments.

For an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference is made to the following description of typical embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a toe jaw incorporating the spring lock of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 4, illustrating a modification of the indication means and the transmission;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partly in section, illustrating the invention as applied to a heel clamp;

FIG. 5 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating part of FIG. 5, provided with a different transmission and indication means;

FIG. 7 is a partial side elevation view, partially in section, of a heel clamp embodying a further modified form of the transmission and indication means of the invention;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are front and side elevation views, respecti-vely, illustrating on a larger scale the detail enclosed by the circle in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a toe jaw incorporating the trans-mission and indication means illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are plan views illustrating further embodiments of the transmission and the indication means of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the invention involving an eccentrically arranged rotatable element, especially useful for toe clamps;

FIG. 14 is an axial sectional view corresponding to FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a partial elevation view corresponding to FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is an elevation view, partly in section, illustrating a continuous transmission and an indication means in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 17 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 16.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, an adjustment member in the form of a screw is marked with the reference numeral 1. This adjustment member has a slot 20 across its upper end, into which, for instance, a coin can be inserted. Therewith, the adjustment member 1 can be turned and exert a suitable pressure by way of the spring 21 on the ball 22. The ball 22, in a known manner is arranged in a recess of the base plate 23. By these construction parts, the base part 24 of the toe jaw is locked (ball lock). From FIG. 2, especially, it can be seen, that, after a turn of the adjustment member 1 through 360, the tooth sector 2 is stepped one step on account of the single tooth 8 on the upper end of the adjusting member. In this operation, tooth 8 is cooperating with a clearance or notch 25 of this tooth sector 2. If the adjustment member 1 is turned several time-s through 360, the numerals 1 to 5 show up in the sector 7, which is a windowlike aperture in the top plate 26, one after the other. The thus adjusted tension of the spring 21 and the locking between 23 and 24 thereby effected has here five different stages. As mentioned, each stage corresponds to a turn of 360 of the adjustment member 1. Thus, the skier is not forced to diligently turn the member for small angles, but he turns the adjustment member 1 for one turn and thus gets the corresponding locking.

The embodiment according to FIG. 3 corresponds essentially to the construction according to the FIGS. 1 and 2. However, according to FIG. 3, a slide 3 is displaced by a turning of the single tooth wheel 8. The slide 3 shows, at 7, one of the three possible positions 1. 2. or 3.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, the locking and its indication is effected in the same manner as in FIGS. 1 and 3. However, as already mentioned, FIGS. 4 and 5 refer to a heel clamp. Instead of a ball lock, the locking is here effected by loading of a yoke, e.g. quadrilateral bell crank, by way of a spring 21. FIG. 6 is analogous to FIG. 3.

In the construction according to the FIGS. 7 to 9, the adjustment member 1 has an extension having a curved path 11. By turning the adjustment member 1 through 360, the disc 4 is stepped for one step, i.e. by cooperation of the path 11 with pegs 12 on disc 4. Thus, at the section 7 once again differently adjusted amounts of locking can be seen. Essentially the same construction is shown in FIG. 10, utilized with a toe jaw.

In FIG. 11, again a single tooth wheel 8 operates a slide 3. This slide'3 has a peg 27 guided in the section or window 7 and indicating the adjustment on the scale of a top plate 26.

FIG. 12 shows again the cooperation of a single tooth wheel 8 with a tooth sector 9. The tooth sector 9 is formed as a disc, at the circumference of which locking recesses 19 are arranged, into which a peg 28 is biased by a spring 18. The indication is provided by a point in the section or window 7, which point is arranged on the disc 2. As can be seen from the FIGS. 13 to 15, a peg 13 is arranged on the adjustment member 1. When adjustment member 1 is turned once through 360, this peg effects, by engagement with one tooth 15, of the hollow cylinder 5, a movement of the same for one step or tooth, respectively. This hollow cylinder 5 is arranged eccentrically to the adjustment member in the bush 29. By this eccentric arrangement, the peg 13 is disengaged from the tooth after about a quarter turn and the effective tension of the locking can then be observed in the window.

According to FIGS. 16 and 17, the adjustment member 1 is provided with a thread and has a worm 16, which is engaged with a worm gear tooth segment 17. This tooth segment 17 is arranged on a disc 6 of the indication means. On the circumference of the disc 6, a special marking, as shown in FIG. 17, is arranged, having the form of a surface 30 converging in an angle. The top plate 26 has here a scale having divisions. The reading can be effected accurately by means of the edge 31.

As already stated, the special advantage of the invention lies in the comparatively large angle movements of adjustment of special lockings, whereby these lockings are always clearly indicated. The skier knows immediately and always the degree of the locking of his ski binding. If the adjustment member 1 is turned less than 360, intermediate stages are provided, which can, for instance, be indicated by the position of the slot 20, which might be provided at one end with a mark. It is self-evi- 3 dent that, for this intermediate position, also a scale might be provided; in FIG. 17, for instance, a division of each step into three parts is carried out, as mentioned above. With the object of invention, it is not necessary to estimate especially the suitable lockings or to adjust same by exhaustive testings. The inventive construction can be used in a corresponding form with front clamps or heel bindings of all kinds.

We claim:

1. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding including a detent, a compression spring having one end engaging said detent, an adjustment member engaging the other end of said spring and angularly adjustable to set the spring tension, an indicator device, and a transmission connecting said adjustment member and said indicator device: the improvement in which said transmission includes transmission means operating said indicator device by increments and providing, for each full rotation of said adjustment member, a respective adjustment indication, corresponding to one incremental operation of said indicator device; and window means through which said respective adjustment indication is visible.

2. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which said adjustment member is an adjusting screw.

3. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which said trans mission means includes a single tooth gear rotatable with said adjustment member.

4. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 3, in which said transmission means includes a multi-tooth element rigidly coupled with said indicating means and engaged by the tooth on said gear once during each complete rotation of said adjustment member.

5. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 4, in which said tension indicating means is rotatable and said element comprises a gear sector.

6. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 4, in which said tension indicating means is displaceable longitudinally and said element is a rack.

7. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which said adjustment member is cylindrical; said transmission including a curved path extending circumferentially and axially of said adjustment member through a relatively small arc, and including an element rigidly coupled to said indicating means and having a series of pegs projecting therefrom at uniformly spaced intervals and engageable with said curved path; the axial distance between the ends of said curved path being equal to the spacing of said teeth whereby said element and said indicating means are stepped by the distance between two pegs once during each complete revolution of said adjustment member.

8. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 7, in which said element is a rotatable disc having said pegs projecting from its periphery.

9. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which said transmission includes a peg projecting radially from said adjustment member, and a hollow cylinder rigidly coupled with said indicating means and rotatable with the latter; said hollow cylinder having internal teeth engaged by said peg once during each complete revolution of said adjustment member to step said cylinder and said indicating means by the distance between two of said teeth.

10. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 9, in which said adjustment member extends through said hollow cylinder eccentrically of the latter.

11. In a spring biased locking device for a ski binding, the improvement claimed in claim 1, including releasable means latching said indicating means in each adjusted position of the latter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,213,297 9/1940 Zitzmann 116124 2,280,594 4/ 1942 Malagrino 116.-124 2,417,114 3/ 1947 Kilham 116124 2,642,027 6/ 1953 Kircher 1l-6124 3,037,785 6/1962 De Place 280-11.35 3,172,677 3/1965 Marker 280-1135 BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner.

J. H. BRANNEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A SPRING BIASED LOCKING DEVICE FOR A SKI BINDING INCLUDING A DETENT, A COMPRESSION SPRING HAVING ONE END ENGAGING SAID DETENT, AN ADJUSTMENT MEMBER ENGAGING THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING AND ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE TO SET THE SPRING TENSION, AN INDICATOR DEVICE, AND A TRANSMISSION CONNECTING SAID ADJUSTMENT MEMBER AND SAID INDICATOR DEVICE: THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH SAID TRANSMISSION INCLUDES TRANSMISSION MEANS OPERATING SAID INDICATOR DEVICE BY INCREMENTS AND PROVIDING, FOR EACH FULL ROTATION OF SAID ADJUSTMENT MEMBER, A RESPECTIVE ADJUSTMENT INDICATION, CORRESPONDING TO ONE INCREMENTAL OPERATION OF SAID INDICATOR DEVICE; AND WINDOW MEANS THROUGH WHICH SAID RESPECTIVE ADJUSTMENT INDICATION IS VISIBLE. 